Laundry apparatus



` De- 2, 194L A. H. iI-lMaERsTlJMP 2,264,307

Filed July 6, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l De@ 2, 1941- A. H. HABERSTUMP 2,264,307

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed July 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec 2 1941- A.. H. HABERSTUMP 2,264,307

LAUNDRY APPARATUS Filed July 6, 1937 s sheets-sheet 5 1.2 ZZ @6 @2 2 fr .L zo 68 j g Jg] 2l Patented Dee. 2, 1941 LAUNDRY APPARATUS Alfred Haben-stump; Detroit, Mich., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July c, 1937, serial No. 152,098

(ci. css-s) l Claim.

The present invention relates to laundry apparatus, and more particularly to the construction of machines adapted to wash, rinse and dry textile materials. In machines of the type comprising a perforate cylinder mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis within a stationary receptacle adapted to contain a suitable amount of liquid, and commonly called a. tub, the tub and cylinder are customarily provided with openings through which the materials to be washed may be inserted into and removed from within the cylinder. A preferred arrangement of the openings that h-as been used heretofore is that in which the openings in the tub and cylinder are located in axial alignment.

In machines designed for domestic use it is almost necessary that there be provided an outer cabinet of pleasing design adapted substantially to surround the washing machine proper. This cabinet must also be provided with an opening, and preferably an opening that is in alignment with those in the tub and cylinder.

In the performance of various functions such as washing, rinsing and extracting, the cylinder is rotated at various rates either with or without liquid in the tub, depending upon the particular function being performed. -The Yliquid within the tub is thus agitated considerably and means must be provided to prevent the escape thereof from within the tub. Furthermore, it is necessary that means be provided for supplying liquid to the tub both when the-cylinder is stationary or rotating.

It is an object of the present invention to provide laundry apparatus with a new and improved tub.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved washing machine comprising a tub having rear, side and front panels and a surrounding cabinet, in which the front panel of the tub is made of a single piece of suitable material and constructed to support a door adapted to close both the tub and cabinet openings, and latching means for holding the door in its closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved water-tight means for supporting the door upon the front panel of the tub.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved liquid inlet through which the liquid used in treating the textiles is supplied.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tub comprising a single piece front panel adapted to be constructed as a unit with the liquid inlet.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple door movement limiting means adapted to be lodged in a recess in the front panel of the tub when the door is in its closed position whereby the combined width of the door and panel is considerably reduced.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description, in the course of which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the washing machine with the door and cabinet removed in order to show the details of construction of the tub and the support therefor;

Fig. 3 is a front 'elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 2 showing a portion of the door in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary axial vertical section through the washing machine shown in Fig. 1 illustrating particularly the door assembly with the door in its closed position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sec-I' tion taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 6:

'Fig. 6 is an 'enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken along'the line li-S of Fig. 5,'

Fig. 7 is an enlargedfragmentary detail, partly in section, of the door latch;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail showing the manner of securing together the side and front panels of the tub;

' Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontall section taken along the line'v 9-9 of Fig. 3 showing the water inlet and th'e manner in which it is attached to the front panel'of the tub; and

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the discharge end of the water inlet.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises Aancuter cabinet consisting of suitable top, side removal of a 'drain screen unit described below.

Both doors are hinged at their lower ends and thus swing outwardly thereabout when opened.

- The stationarytub 26 of the present inven- A tion and a rotatable cylinder 28 are preferably mounted upon supporting means of the type described and claimed in my Patent No. 2,190,456,

dated February 13, 1940. In order that the pres- The peripheral portion of the triangular support is provided with a channel section 34 to give it strength and rigidity. The diagonal support 32 is made of a relatively narrow channel section that extends through an aperture in the triangular support to a point of attachment at the front end of the base I6. A secondvertically disposed support 36 is secured to the horizontally disposed front end of the diagonal support and the base by suitable securing means, such as bolts 38.

The tub 26 is supported in the position shown in the various figures upon the front bearing support 30, to which it may be suitably secured, and the front support 36, to which the front panel of the tub is Welded, as indicated at 38.

Since the particular construction of the cylinder supporting means does not form part of the present invention, it is deemed sufficient to state that the cylinder is rotatably mounted upon ,the supporting means described above by a stub shaft (not shown) secured in suitable manner to the rear panel 40 of the cylinder and mounted in a pair of spaced apart bearings carried by the front and rear bearing supports 30 and 32. A pulley 4I is secured to the shaft so that rotation may be imparted to the cylinder, and a motor 42 (see Fig. 3) mounted in a depression 44 formed in the base I6 is adapted to drive the pulley through a belt 46.

The cylinder 28 likewise may be constructed in any suitable manner, preferably after the disclosure in my Patent No. 2,214,131, dated September 10, 1940. It comprises the previously mentioned rear panel 40, a generally cylindrical perforated side panel 48 and an annular front panel 50 secured to each other in suitable manner by locking seams 52, one of which is shown in Fig. 4.

`The cylinder is provided with spaced apart, inwardly extending bales 54 in accordance with Well known principles. When the tub 26 is filled with a predetermined amount of liquid the textiles contained Within the cylinder are contacted with the liquid flowing therein through the peripheral perforations and the distribution of the textiles Within the cylinder is enhanced by the bales 54.

The front panel 50 of the cylinder is provided with a beaded opening 56, concentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the cylinder and in axial alignment with the opening in the front panel, that is adapted to be closed by the door I8, and a third opening in the tub 26 that is to be described shortly.

The tub 26 consists' of a circular rear panel 60, a cylindrical side panel 62 and an annular front panel 64 that forms one of the primary features of the present invention. The rear and sidev panels are secured together by a -liquid-tight lock seam 66 of usual form. The side Referring now to these figures, it may be noted that the joint is formed by providing panels 62 and 64 with peripheral transverse ilanges 10 and 12, respectively, adapted to be forced toward eachother by a circular steel band 14 having substantially a U-shaped cross section and secured at its ends by a bolt and nut indicated by reference numeral 16. The joint is made substantially water-tight by interposing an annular rubber gasket`18 of U-shaped cross section between the two panels. The central opening of the gasket ts around an axial extensiony 80 formed by providing a reverse bend in the side panel 62 intermediate the' wall forming a portion thereof and the ange 10. The outer side of the gasket is surrounded by an outwardly and axially extending annular ridge 82 formed in the front wall intermediate the front wall forming portion and the iiange 12.

Before describing the details of construction of the front panel 64 and the door and water inlet supported thereby it may be well to note and front panels are secured by a liquid-tight that water is drained from the tub through a drain assembly 84 suitably secured to the bottom portion of the side panel 62 of the tub. The drain assembly may be of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,199,792, dated May 7, 1940, comprising an apertured housing 86 surrounding and located below a restricted opening in the tub. The bottom portion 88 'of the housing is curved and has secured to its lowermost portion a sump 90 to which may be attached a conduit leading to a suitable drain. For reasons that will appear hereinafter the capacity of the drain is made greater than that of the water inlet hereinaiter to be described.

A removable drain screen unit 92 is mounted in the aperture formed in the front Vwall 64 of the housing and is secured in position therein by a pivotally mounted bail 96 and a threaded thumb nut 98 adapted to exert pressure against a handle forming part of the unit.

The drain screen unit may be removed from its installed position, where it is illustrated in vthe iigures, by opening the door 22, loosening the bail 96 and then pulling the unit through an opening |00 formed in the front support 36. The unit may be inserted into the position in which it is illustrated in a manner that is believed to be apparent from the above description.

Returning now to the description of the tub, it may be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 that the front panel 64 is constructed from a unitary piece of relatively thin metal, preferably steel, and formed by stamping operations to provide a rigid supporting structure for the door I8 and water inlet hereinafter to be described.

The construction of the peripheral portion of the panel has already been described in 'connection with the description of the joint 68 securing together the front and side panels.l

From the peripheral edge the panel extends to- WardV the central opening therein and forwardly to provide a generally conical panel. Desired rigidity and strength are provided by a plurality of radial inwardly extending grooves |02, the bottom portions of which lie in a vertical plane. The lowermost groove |04 is made Wide enough to receive the upper portion of the support 36 which is welded to the bottom thereof, as previously described. y

The central portion of the panel terminates in an arched ridge |06, the horizontal bottom portion |08 of which is somewhat wider than the remainder in order better to support the with a radially extending portion beneath which is located a crescent-shaped recess ||2 in which-is welded acatch ||4 adapted to be engaged by a cooperatinggart carried by the door.

Within the arched ridge |06 is a circularanged openingdefined by a diagonal portionV ||6 and an axial portion 8.` y

Located below and to the sides of the circular opening is a pair of generally triangular fiat -surfaces- |20 provided with Vvertically disposed .s |32 Welded, or otherwise suitably secured, to the inner side of the flat bottom portion |08.

The door construction, which is illustrated best in Fig. 4, comprises a pair 'of sheet metal panels 34 and |36 secured with the major .portions thereof in spaced-apart relation by welding or otherwise securing together the axially disposed flanges |38 and |40 formed thereon. These panels are' formed with vhorizontal lower ends from which depend downwardly extending flanges `r|42 and |44 to form, with the support |26 and a pin |46, a suitable hinge structure.

The rear panel |36 is provided with a rabbet i. |48, a .jamb face |50 and a radially extending flange |52 cooperating with a similar ange |54 formed integrally with panel |34 to support an annular rubber gasket |56. The rubber gasket in turn supports a circular glass panel |58 through which the operation of the washing machine may be observed. y

Leakage of water from within the tub through the door is prevented by providing suitable sealing means such as the rubber gasket |60- forced into place over the jamb face |50. The gasket is provided with a relatively narrow radially extending portion |62 which abuts against the diagonal flange ||6 of the front panel of the tub when the door is closed, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The open position of the door is determined by a chain |64 secured at one end to the chain support |24 and at its other end to a suitable loop |66 formed integrally or otherwise with the rear panel |36. When the door is closed the chain fits into the recess |22 so that very little space is occupied thereby and no unsightly structure protrudes outside the cabinet.

The door is held in its closed position by a spring biased latching means, indicated generally by reference numeral |68, provided with a triangular latch |10 adapted to engage a finger |12-forming part of the catch ||4. The latch |10 is formed integrally with the handle 20 which is pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin |16 mounted upon a bracket |18 suitably mounted upon the front panel,of the door. The latch and handle are biased to move in a clockwise direction about the pivot |16 byI a U-shaped spring |80 secured to the inner sid-e of the front panel t, y acceso? door I9. 'I'he upper end of the ridge is provided In order to secure the front panel |4 of the cabinet to the front panel of the tub the catch ||4 ls provided with a pair of forwardly extending flanges |82 to which'a cooperating peripheral flange |84 of the panel may be suitably secured.-

Liquid, usually water, is supplied to the interior -of the tub in a horizontal fan shaped spray.-

through a water inlet, indicated generally by reference numeral |90. vThe inlet is supported by the front panel 64 of the tub and is built as an integral part thereof. Water may be supplied to the inlet through a suitable flexible hose |92 and is discharged into the interior of the tub through a -nozzle |94. l'

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 9, it may be seen that the water inlet is supported in one of the radial ridges |02and is secured, as by welding, to the annular ridge 82 and also to the side walls of the panel at the opening |96 provided in the latter forA the entry of the inlet means into `the rear side of the panel. The nozzle |94 is formed in such manner that the water is discharged into the interior of the tuband cylinder in the shape of a horizontallyI disposed fan-like spray and to occupy a minimum of space.

Referring now more particularly to Figs.' 9 and 10, it may be seen that the nozzle comprises a gradually flattened radially and rearwardly extending intermediate portion |98 terminating in a restricted -neck 200 having a vertical length considerably greater thanthe width. The discharge portion 202 is formed to provide an outlet comprising a central generally oval shaped opening 204 and a pair of opposed relatively small triangular portions 206 through which water is respectively. The machine may likewise be automatically controlled in any suitable manner, and in practice has been controlled after the manner of the disclosure in Chamberlin and Bassett Patent No. 2,165,884, dated July 11, 1939.

So far as the present invention is concerned,

it i-s contemplated that water may be supplied to the tub through the water inlet |90 and drained through the sump, and that during the performance of the washing operation the tub is filled with a predetermined amount of water, and that during the rinsing operation the water is both drained and supplied. Since, as stated above, the liquid isdrained at a more rapid rate than it can be supplied, it may be seen that during rinsing water is withdrawn from within the tub. l

During washing operations the tub is filled with a predetermined amount of water and the cylinder is rotatedln a single direction at a speed such that the textiles therein follow a path that approximates the shape of an ellipse. 'I'he textiles follow the cylinder wall until they approach the highest point of the cylinder from which point they fall in almost a straight line to a point displaced from a vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation in the direction of rotation. If the cylinder is rotated in the direction of rotation indicated by thearrow in Fig. 3, the point at which the textiles fall to the surface of the water within the cylinder is displaced to the left of a plane passing vertically through the axis of rotation.

Then, when water is admitted into the cylinder,

during rinsing or during any operation, the water is directed against the falling textiles. Since the water is injected into the cylinder inthe form of a horizontal fan-shaped spray it may be seen that, because of the location of the nozzle, all the textiles over the entire width of the cylinder are subjected to the action of the water. Inasmuch as the textiles are freely falling at the moment the water strikes them the rinsing action is materially enhanced.

While the above description of the operation of the machine has been directed to a machine in which the cylinder is rotated in a single dl' rection, thev described arrangement is adapted for use with machines in which the direction of rotation is periodically reversed. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the arrangement may be used in connection with all machines having cylinders rotatable upon a horizontal axis.

The particulariorm of the inlet nozzle also enables the front panels of the cylinder, tub and cabinet to be placed relatively close together. The size of the opening in the cylinder may also be enlarged practically to the size of that in the tub and only a single opening in the tub wall is required for the nozzle. Placing the nozzle in one of the radial grooves results in a further saving of space.

The construction of the tub with a single piece front panel formed ln the manner described results in a very rigid construction. The fabrication of the tub is relatively simple and assembly costs are reduced to a minimum. The rear and side panels of the tub may be formed, secured together and to the base, and after the cylinder Ahas been mounted in place the front panel is secured to the side panel by the steel band.

The front panel is formed as a separate unit by suitable stamping operations from any desired lmaterial, preferably thin steel. After the stamping operations have been completed Athe water inlet and the screw receiving cups |30 may be welded thereto. The door supporting hinge strip |26 may thereafter be secured thereon or, if desired, the door may be assembled together with the strip and thereafter the whole secured in place by the bolts |28.

The machine is thus constructed entirely of relatively inexpensive sheet steel, and no expensive castings are required. The steel from'which the tub front, and the other parts of the'tub, are made corrosion resisting by coating them with zinc by any suitable process.

It i's contemplated that the principles of the present invention may be applied to apparatus not corresponding specifically to the embodiment described above and that the invention is limitedl solely by the claim appended hereto.

Iclaim:

In combination, a substantially imperforate tub including an integral front panel stamped into substantially conical shape, a plurality oi? radial ridges formed therein, said ridges having ALFRED H. HABERSTUNIP. 

